


Know It All

by honestgrins



Series: Elsewhere [3]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 19:26:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5755354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's proud of all she's learned working in the museum, and Caroline just wants to show off a little bit for the hot guy asking questions. How was she supposed to know he's the visiting artist featured in the next room?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Know It All

"Pardon me, miss. Do you happen to know the theme tying these works together?"

Caroline twirled around to find the source of the luscious British accent, only to find that the cute guy with sandy curls was talking to her. "O-oh," she stuttered, caught off guard. "Um, these works?"

"I'm sorry," the man apologized. His sheepish expression didn't seem entirely sincere, though, as it was ruined by a mischievous smirk. "I saw the name tag and figured you were a tour guide. I was just curious about the connections in this room, because I can't quite figure it."

Caroline glanced down to her chest, where her Whitmore Historical Society name tag was pinned. She took a moment to appreciate her choice of dress, as the cleavage was flattering, yet not completely obvious. The guy was hot, and her boobs never hurt her flirting game. The only thing working against her was that she wasn't a tour guide, she just worked at the gift shop. "Actually-"

Assuming her flustered state meant ignorance, the man chuckled. "Never mind, sweetheart," he said. "I'll just ask someone else."

He turned away, leaving Caroline to scoff at his condescending tone. "Seriously," she sneered. He turned back, interest in his gaze. "I do work here, and I do know how the works in this room correlate. But now, I'm thinking I'll just sit on my knowledge and let you figure it out on your own, sweetheart."

"I meant no offense," he said placatingly, hands raised in a defensive pose. "Call it a British thing, to call you sweetheart."

"Yeah, well," Caroline sniffed, "you can clearly see my name is Caroline. So try calling me that." Seeing his genuine half-smile, she figures that flirting wouldn't be a terrible way to waste her break. She normally spent it going through all the exhibits again anyway, so showing off for a handsome man could only make it enjoyable. She checked her phone, shooting a text to Bonnie that she might be a little late getting back to the shop. "I've only got fifteen minutes, but I suppose I can explain the significance of the works in this room"

"Thank you, Caroline," smug British guy said, dimples cutting deeply into his cheeks. "I'm Klaus and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn from you."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline just shook her head. "Okay, no need to mock," she said. "I just happen to love this exhibit."

And she really did. Caroline had started working for the Whitmore Historical Society as a sophomore in college, needing every cent she could get to help pay for her education and her shoe shopping habit. Though the gift shop was a fun experience, two years of love for the museum had her desperately wanting to do more. She had been on enough tours to give one verbatim, as well as filching information brochures every chance she could get. The tour guides were exclusively retirees from the Whitmore History Department, so opportunities for Caroline to get out of the gift shop were slim.

If she could put her unused skills to work in flirting with a hot guy like Klaus, all the better.

"So," Caroline said, leading him to the first painting on the wall. "You really have no idea what ties this room together?" She may have forgiven his condescension earlier, but that didn't mean she couldn't also be a little smug about knowing something he didn't.

"I do not," Klaus answered, smiling. "Here is a completely white canvas, and the information placard has been covered in white-out. I assume it's intentional, but I don't catch the meaning."

"This room is best experienced with a tour guide," Caroline explained, cheerfully gesturing to herself with a flourish of her hand. "When typewriters were still the norm, there wasn't the convenience of a backspace key that fixed any errors. A typist named Bette Nesmith Graham was tired of using tempera paint to cover her mistakes in an obvious fashion, and she worked to develop what we call 'liquid paper' today. This particular work is by an artist who liked the idea of white-out giving a blank slate for a seemingly fresh start."

"Despite the imperfect layers beneath," Klaus asked in a hushed, teasing tone.

Shrugging, Caroline smiled back. "Because the imperfections don't have to hold you back from a finished product," she replied. "That's a hard lesson to learn for a perfectionist, let me tell you."

"I don't doubt it, love," Klaus murmured, apparently intrigued by the bubbly blonde. "What about this?"

He had led them to a photograph down the wall, the fuzzy black circle reminding him of X-ray imaging he might see in a doctor's office. "How does an X-ray correlate to white-out? One covers mistakes, the other can see right through them?"

Looking down, Caroline tried to hide her grin at his poor guess. "While that may be true, that is not the connection in this exhibit," she answered. "This is Photo 51, crucial evidence that supported the Watson-Crick DNA model of a double-helix structure."

Klaus's eyebrows arched nearly to his hairline. "I didn't take you for the scientist," he admitted.

Scowling lightly, Caroline pinned him with a playful glare. "Don't let the blonde stereotype rule your thinking," she warned, obviously avoiding that she did not actually excel in the scientific field. "Anyway, this photo was actually obtained and analyzed under the supervision of Rosalind Franklin. She only received a footnote when Watson and Crick originally published their findings."

"Ah," Klaus sighed. "I think I'm understanding the exhibit now. These works all celebrate female innovators?"

"Yep," Caroline chirped with a triumphant grin. "You can find the paper bag installation in the corner, its production made easier with Margaret Knight's invention. It may not be as revolutionary, but she had to really fight for her patent rights. There are plenty more scattered throughout the room, and I highly encourage you to check them out."

"Without a guide," Klaus asked cheekily. "I wouldn't want to miss anything."

The guy was charming, she had to give him that. "I should really get back to my post," Caroline said sadly, turning to go.

"Wait," Klaus called. "What about the next exhibit? I'd hate to misinterpret its collective meaning."

Chewing the inside of her lip, Caroline considered her situation. Bonnie needed her in the gift shop, and she hadn't read the information packet about the new exhibit. The museum often used that room to showcase local art, something about making history through personal experience. Caroline rarely cared for those exhibits, and she didn't think a careless show of ignorance made for good flirting. Instead, she opted for honesty.

"You know, I don't really know anything about the next exhibit," she admitted. "It's an art collection from some fancy alum, and the rumor mill says he's a bit of an ass."

"Really," Klaus asked, amused. "What makes him an ass? Have you met him?"

"Oh, no," Caroline answered. "But I've heard stories. My friend Bonnie is dating his brother, and apparently that's how the historical society even got him to lend his artwork. Apparently, he's this hotshot artist up in New York, and he's gracing us with his presence for a fundraising gala tonight. Nicholas Something. I don't know, I haven't met Bonnie's boyfriend yet." Her eyes widened, realizing that she just spewed a lot of unnecessary information. "Sorry, I do this thing where I keep talking until someone stops me."

Grinning, Klaus just evenly met her gaze. "I wouldn't dream of it, love," he said smoothly. "Will you be attending this gala, then?"

"Why," Caroline asked mischievously. "You want to be my date?"

Klaus opened his mouth to answer when Professor Saltzman came up to them. "Klaus, I'm sorry," the older man said, confused. "I thought our meeting was going to be in my office."

"My fault," Klaus answered, reluctantly taking his eyes off Caroline. "I got caught up in this exhibit. Caroline here was explaining its significance to me, I couldn't piece it together."

"Oh, the women of innovation, yes," Saltzman nodded. "That may have been my wife's suggestion. Our daughters are in fourth grade, and they were assigned a project on an inventor. They didn't like there were so few women on the list they were given. Anyway, shall we head back to my office? I'd like to go over a few details before the gala tonight."

Caroline had been quiet, hoping that Professor Saltzman didn't mind she was giving a pseudo tour. He was the one to encourage her to take a larger role in the museum, even asking her to help with the gala and signing off on internship hours for her event management degree. Her fear of being called out by her boss was quickly replaced, however, when she realized why he would be meeting with Klaus. That fear turned to embarrassment that she just bad-mouthed the generous artist to his face, without her knowledge.

Trying to sneak away, Caroline silently waved to Professor Saltzman, indicating that she would head back to the gift shop. "Actually, Caroline, you should join us," he said, turning to Klaus. "She's been the one coordinating the event, and I'm glad you had a moment to meet. I was hoping I could talk her into taking the lead on selling your paintings, and I'm sure she'll want to pick your brain for anecdotes and techniques."

Klaus faced Caroline with a broad smile on his face, taking in her surprise and glorious irritation. "I'd be delighted to walk through the exhibit with you, sweetheart," he said with a slight bow. "You could tell me more about the museum."

Narrowing her eyes at the mention of her word vomit, Caroline stubbornly set her jaw. "That sounds great, Professor Saltzman," she bit out, not looking away from Klaus. "I'll be sure to chat with Mr. - I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Niklaus Mikaelson," he answered with that infuriating smirk.

"Right," Caroline perked up with a bright, completely fake smile. "Well, Bonnie's actually waiting for me back at the shop, Professor. I'll be here a few hours before the gala; Mr. Mikaelson can talk me through his works then." Nodding at the men, she leveled one last glare at the still-grinning Klaus before spinning on her heel and striding away.

If her hips swayed a little more than usual, she would just chalk it up to putting on a confident strut for the arrogant artist.

* * *

Annoyed, she adjusted yet another bouquet someone had just dropped into the centerpiece vases. "Seriously," she called out, though no one was around to hear her. The catering staff was busy setting up their makeshift kitchen and the Historical Society volunteers were chatting at the front table, leaving Caroline to her mad dash of final touches.

The exhibit room was smaller than the main showcases, but the spread of bistro tables somehow gave the illusion of space. Mentally patting herself on the back for the decision, Caroline leaned back from the frustrating flowers. She looked around the room, checking her list for any more tasks. All that was left was the personal tour of Klaus's work, but the artist had yet to arrive.

"Is that scowl for me, love?"

Immediately relaxing her expression, Caroline turned to find Klaus ogling her little black dress. It was more conservative than it seemed, but her boobs tended to make anything strapless look sexier than intended. "It is now," she snapped, crossing her arms to limit the view. "You're late."

"Forgive me," he said, placing a hand over his heart. "I foolishly tried to pry information about you from my brother."

"I told you I haven't met him yet," she pointed out.

"He's quite infatuated with your friend, Bonnie," Klaus said. "While I assumed that meant he knew more about her life, including you, I failed to take his proclivities into account."

Caroline's eyebrows scrunched as she thought his explanation through. "Oh," she said, jumping slightly in realization. "They're still in the honeymoon stage." That was probably why she hadn't met Kol yet, because the lovebirds couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Klaus nodded, amused. "Fortunately, it just means that I get to know you the old-fashioned way," he flirted, moving closer. "You look lovely, sweetheart."

"Again, my name is Caroline," she said with a playful glare. "And since you're late, you'll need to give me the Cliff Notes version of your work if I'm going to have any success tonight."

"I'm sure you are just being modest, love," Klaus said, stressing the pet name. "And in that dress, you could sell a ketchup popsicle to man in white gloves."

Caroline rolled her eyes and walked to the closest paining. Cute or not, she had a mission for the night, and it had nothing to do with arrogant pickup artists.

* * *

Well, almost nothing.

"Oh," she gasped as his hand slid up the inside of her thigh. She hadn't expected to end the night sneaking off to the gift shop with Klaus, but Caroline wasn't going to ask any questions when he had her pinned against the wall and his lips caressing her collarbone. Bucking her hips, though, she couldn't fully appreciate his ministrations. "I don't think you're playing fair."

"Just setting the pace, love," Klaus whispered, dragging his tongue up her neck. "This pretty little dress of yours has been plaguing my thoughts all night, I could barely tear my eyes away from all this gloriously soft skin. May I savor it?"

Though she wanted to roll her eyes for the umpteenth time that night, Caroline found herself keening to the lilt of his accent. "If you must," she reluctantly said, her deep breathing pushing her chest up into his lips. "Just don't take too long."

"No promises," he said.

She could feel his smirk as slid a finger along the seam of her underwear. "Don't get cocky," she warned, biting her lip as he nipped the top of her dress away from her breasts.

"I have a feeling you'll keep my ego in check, sweetheart," he said, pulling back slightly to look at her. "After all, I needed your help earlier this morning."

"That was good," Caroline agreed smugly. "But, I think I need your help right now," she said, wiggling her hips for effect. "If you're not going to take this any further right now, how about we find a bed?"

He kissed her deeply, only leaning back when she broke away for air. "I'm only in town for another day," he admitted, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear. "I have to get back to New York."

"I'm not asking you to marry me, Klaus," she snorted, quickly kissing away the furrow in his brow at her teasing. "I'm just asking for an orgasm or three in a more comfortable location."

"Fair enough," he conceded. He pulled away entirely, helping to smooth out her dress and straightening his own clothes. Smug smirk back in full force, he held out his arm. "Your place or mine?"

"You don't live here," she pointed out.

This time, he rolled his eyes. "Bloody know-it-all," he muttered, placing a light kiss on her cheek. "My hotel, then."

With bright eyes and flushed cheeks, they eventually made it to his hotel and spent the night, and most of the next day, enjoying each other. Though their pillow talk between rounds tended for lighter fare, the intimate comfort they felt was immediate and odd for them. Agreeing to remember the encounter fondly, Klaus and Caroline found themselves parting amicably in the hotel lobby.

"Good luck with the painting," Caroline wished, watching the cabbie stow the luggage in the trunk.

"Good luck with proving yourself, love," Klaus said softly, placing a final kiss on her cheek. "If you're ever in New York…"

She never did make it to New York, but they both made it back to Mystic Falls for Kol and Bonnie's wedding years later. Surprised and please to see each other, the best man and the maid of honor discovered they had ended up in the same city after all.

"I never would have pegged you for Chicago," Caroline said, shrewdly noting the changes in Klaus since their brief affair. They were wandering around the Historical Society exhibit again, silently reminiscing that fateful night.

"I can't believe we're back here," Klaus said, favoring her over the paintings. "It seems an odd location for a rehearsal dinner."

Caroline just shrugged. "It's pretty and holds a lot of memories for Bonnie and Kol," she answered, sipping at her champagne. The centerpieces were still a mess like they were years earlier, but she was just tipsy enough to see it as charming.

"For me as well," Klaus admitted, placing a warm hand on her waist. "I don't suppose I could hope for a repeat, or perhaps dinner, when we get back to Chicago?"

Biting her lip, Caroline's eyes took on a mischievous glint. "That depends," she said. "Can you tell me what the correlation between these works might be?"

Chuckling, Klaus couldn't help the giant grin taking over his face. "Why do I have a feeling you're going to hold it over my head?"

"I can't help it," she shrugged playfully. "I'm just that good."

"Yes, you are," he answered, unable to resist pulling her in for the kiss he'd been hoping for all night.


End file.
